Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-18
Nearly One Hundred Lives Lost and
Many Persons Bruised and Mangled.
A NIGHT OF TERROR.
Details of Thursday Mornings Railway Disas-
ter.


houses and hospitals make up tonight
what has been the peaceful village of
Chatsworth. Of eight hundred merry ex-
cursionists journeying by here to the
Falls of Niagara twenty-four hours ago
fully half the number have since passed
through maelstrom more fearful than
all the whirling waters they were travel
ing far to see. Eighty-four of them are
blackened, mangled corpses, scattered in
depots, schools and engine houses here
and at Piper City, or are being carried on
trains in all directions to their homes.
while 115 bandaged and moaning cripples
are stretched on all available mattresses,
beds, chairs and floors in this vicinity,
struggling for little lease of life. Tue
streets of Chatsworth are filled with
crowds of anxious seekers for friends and
relatives, and with other crowds of bustl-
ing people hurrying for medicines, slow
ly bearing rude pine collins to trains
or talking earnestly of the horror that
has caused the CONSERVATION
Indirectly the catastrophe was ascribed
to the origin Of SO many other recent
calamities, viz: unprecedented drouth.
Tall grass under a little culvert on the
Toledo, Peoria and Western road, few
miles east OF Chatsworth, had been rem
dered by the sun dry as finder and last
night a locomotive spark set it ablaze.
The timbers of the culvert caught fire
and were smouldering unseen when the
train of sixteen coaches of excursionists
/ came along. There was q terrific crash
and an accident, almost unprecedented in
horror, had passed into history. That
was the brief story CLEANED on the streets
of Chatsworth this evening. A short ride
brought one from the sickening sights
to the place where the catastrophe ocur-
red. Tangled iron and wood, and various
debris presented much the same appear
auce as it did at the time of the accident.
The engine, shattered out of all shape
lay in the ditch, about 200 feet beyond
| the culvert and broken carswere strewn all
about. The culvert, which was about 80
feet in length showed the broken and
burned timbers, and gave evidence at
glance OF the cause of the accident.
The lutte ditch which the culvert span
ned was about ten feet deep and the
timbers had been burned away by the
fires which had, been raging in this vicin-
ity. The heavily laden train came rush
down grade of about 48 feet to the
mile and struck the culvert. The eye
of the engineer could not detect the
burned frame work beneath the track
because enough of the culvert remained
in position to hold the rails in position,
but as the wheels touched it the
crash came. The rapidity with
which the train was going may
be imagined when it is understood that
the first engine leaped over the chasm
and, holding the track, went on, but little
| injured. The second engine plowed its
way along the track for nearly two hun
dred feet and finally went over on its
side, most complete wreck. Piling on
top of and telescoping one another came
the regular passenger coaches with
their loads of human freight
and such q mass, such an
iaoescribable, tangled mass of splintered
cars and mangled bodies. All NIGHT lone
and all day the work of removing the
dead and wounded occupied the good
people of the5 vicinity and many helpers
who came from adjacent cities.
At ming o'clock this evening when the
associated press correspondent left the
scene II was thought all but six or seven
OF thf bodies had been removed.
Statement of One who was in the Wreck
II CHATswoRTH, ILL.,, Aug. 11.-Dr. Hagen,
+ of Eft. Madison, Iowa, says the train was
running about thirty miles an hour. He
felt sudden jar and found himself and
his wife fastened under the seats. He
pulled the backs off two seats before he
could get his wife out. She was bruised
on the body and both feet were mashed.
His shoulder was dislocated and had
to be pulled into place as soon
as he could get out of the wreck, and in
helping others pulled it out of place
again, and had to have it pulled into
place a second time. There were nine
persons in his party and he can only hear
from three of them so far. He says he
saw Mr.. E. D. Stoddard hand his boy out
to lady while he craw.ed back to get his
| wife who was killed.
Later and Corrected Details of the Horrible
Disaster-Hellish Vandals at Work.
CHICAGO, Aug. 1.-THE Inter Oceans
Peoria, ILL.,, special in referring to the
Chatsworth wreck says: 1t was the larg
est excursion and largest passenger train
ever taken out over the Toledo, Peoria
Il Western road, the train consisting of